Shrewsbury Town: Michael Appleton on Salop's playing style

The head coach was appointed in Shropshire when former boss Gareth Ainsworth walked out on the club in March. 

Appleton was initially given the job temporarily until the end of the season, until he agreed a permanent deal before the League One campaign ended last time out. 

One of the things the former Portsmouth and Lincoln coach has been keen to put in place since his arrival is an improved style of play. They have tried to follow that blueprint ever since. 

In the early part of the season, Town have struggled, losing comfortably at Tranmere and Grimsby while being held to a draw on the opening day by Bromley. 

And with the team making a couple of mistakes in possession of late, which has led to goals, the boss has addressed questions about playing out from the back. 

"The longer we do it, the less mistakes that will take place,” he said. "I think you have to have the sort of bravery to do it. 

"What we don't want to do is we don't want to be silly in what we do, it is making players make better decisions under duress and stress.”

The first goal Town conceded in their 3-1 defeat to Grimsby came from a misplaced pass in their own half.  

"The goal we conceded was a shame because it was nearly good,” he said. “We knew that Grimsby would be pressing really, really high.

"If we had got through that first press and into Tom Sang, we would have been sort of looking to counter and probably getting a shot or a cross at the end of the pitch.

"I thought first half we were a little bit tentative, a little bit nervous, maybe a hangover from the weekend. 

"There wasn't really enough contact, whether that's obviously them looking to build from the goalkeeper or certainly in that final third to working hard enough to stop crosses. But we did improve in the second half."

Shrewsbury will have an immediate chance to put things right when they welcome Colchester to the Croud Meadow this weekend, for their second home game of the season.